SourceMod on a CS: Source server - admins and plugins

SourceMod has been the standard for years on Valve servers running the older Source engine: Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. It adds an admin menu, bans, map votes and thousands of plugins. The installation is the same in all these games - only the game folder name changes.

The example below is for CS:S (cstrike).

1. Download the packages

• Metamod:Source (stable Linux build) from metamodsource.net,
• SourceMod (stable Linux build) from sourcemod.net.

2. Upload and extract

Stop the server. In the Files tab open the cstrike folder, upload both packages (Upload) and extract them (Unarchive). Both contain an addons folder - after extracting you should have cstrike/addons/metamod and cstrike/addons/sourcemod.

Start the server and type in the console:

meta list
sm version

If both commands respond, everything works.

3. Add an admin

Open cstrike/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini and add at the end:

"STEAM_0:1:12345678" "99:z"

• The first value is your SteamID in the STEAM_0:X:XXXX format (look it up at steamid.io).
• 99:z means immunity level 99 and the z flag - full permissions.

Lower permissions for moderators look like "STEAM_0:0:87654321" "abcdefgj" (kick, ban, map change, no access to the config). After saving, type sm_reloadadmins in the console or restart the server.

4. Admin menu

In the game type !admin in chat or sm_admin in the console. A menu opens with the player list, bans, map change and votes.

5. Plugins

SourceMod plugins are .smx files. Upload them to:

cstrike/addons/sourcemod/plugins/

Load them without a restart with sm plugins load pluginname. The main source of plugins is the AlliedModders forum (the Plugins section). If a plugin is only available as .sp source code, compile it on the SourceMod website or ask the author for an .smx build.

Plugin configs usually appear in cstrike/cfg/sourcemod/ after the first start.

server.cfg

Basic server settings go in cstrike/cfg/server.cfg:

hostname "[EU] CS:S Crew | Dust2 24/7"
sv_password ""
rcon_password "strong-password"
mp_timelimit 30
mp_roundtime 3
mp_freezetime 5
mp_friendlyfire 0
sv_alltalk 0

Enter your GSLT (Steam Game Server Login Token, generated at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers) in the Startup tab. The starting map is set there in the Map field.

Updates

After a Valve game update SourceMod may need a newer version. If sm version stops responding after a restart, download the latest SourceMod and Metamod and upload them again (your configs in configs stay in place).

Updated: 2026-09-28